In sharply opposing the increases through a mix of speakers and letters, residents echoed a common refrain of not having enough information, despite being on the receiving end of a notice mailed to 46,000 households some 45 days before the public hearing.
“What do these numbers mean to me? There’s nothing there that resonates with me,” said Dennis Shiflett, one of a handful of residents carrying the letter and newspaper clippings.
“If we had some more detail, I think we could respond more to you folks,” said Councilman David Gordon, who voted against the plan after calling the bundle of proposals a “pervasive tax.”
He joined a group of people in opposing the fee increases and a new water rate structure intended to curb the city’s consumption as wholesale deliveries to the region are cut in July.
“Please explain to me and the public why we don’t put a cap on new demand,” Gordon asked Burbank Water and Power General Manager Ron Davis.
The 15% water rate increase included in the plan would take effect July 1, two months ahead of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s own 19.7% rate hike to members cities.
A 10% cut to wholesale exports starts July 1, and come saddled with heavy penalties for those members who go over their allotments.
Burbank imports 55% of its water from MWD, a number officials said they hope will decrease as the city acquires more recycled water.
The matter has little to do with restricting new demand, which has been crippled by the recession and housing market collapse, and everything to do with MWD’s draw down on water reserves, depleted coffers and lack of available water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region, Davis said.
“At some point, you run out of water, you run out of money and you have to raise rates,” he said.
